


Fate/RWBY: The Third Holy Grail War

by shaggydiz



Category: RWBY
Genre: Bumbleby - Freeform, Elderburn - Freeform, F/F, F/M, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms References, Freezerburn - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, RWBY au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-16
Updated: 2017-11-05
Packaged: 2019-01-18 09:44:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12385689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shaggydiz/pseuds/shaggydiz
Summary: Ten years ago, the Second Grail War ended with the destruction of the Holy Grail and the devastation of Vale.  In the ensuing calamity, Yang lost Ruby, and has been searching for her since.Now a senior in high school, Yang struggles through life, with her friendships to Blake and Winter keeping her afloat.  One night, she chances upon a duel between two servants, entwining her fate into the Third Holy Grail War.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> New story! I'm really excited to try this out. Let's get to it!

 

            The alarm sounded for a split second before Yang Xiao Long slammed her hand down on the offending device, silencing the ear-piercing sound.  “Ugh… too early,” she muttered before slowly dragging herself out of bed.  “At least it’s Thursday, only one day left before I can sleep in again.”

            Yang made her way to the bathroom, grabbing her towel along her walk.  She disrobed and jumped into the shower, hopeful that the water would get her moving faster this morning.  Sometimes the shower would.  Sometimes, she’d want to climb right back into bed.  The morning showers, on occasion, would help her focus her thoughts.  Those thoughts that’d come to mind though…

            “Ruby…”

            She shook her head, water droplets flying from her soaked blonde hair, as she attempted to clear her head of her long-departed sister.  Everyone thought her dead at this point, save for her, though no one would listen to her about it.  Well, Blake would.  Yang didn’t know if it was pity or actual belief in her words, but Blake was her best friend, and she always took the faunus word for it.

            Speaking of the faunus: as Yang exited the shower and entered her bedroom again, her scroll lit up and buzzed.  She walked over, seeing the new message alert from Blake.  _Rise and shine dragon!  Looking forward to class with you today!_ was the message, along with a pair of smiley faces and other weird emojis.  Yang smiled, not forced for once, before setting her phone down and proceeding to get dressed.

            Blake, as Yang recounted, was her one major support structure over the past two years, when they first entered the higher education portion of the Vale school system.  The blonde-haired girl was continually downtrodden over Ruby, having lost her nearly ten years ago, and Blake, somehow, came along and found a way to perk her up every day.  “You’re the sunshine to my moon.  Of course I want to be around you,” she said at the time.

            “And what if I’m cloudy?” Yang replied, somehow feeling foolish in speaking in metaphors.

            “Then I’ll find a way to shine some moonlight through.”

            Yang shook her head, confused now as then as to why Blake still hung around.  At this point, the cat faunus probably had a crush on her.  That would make the most sense.  Why hang around with this sullen loser all the time?

            _Looking forward to it too!_ Yang texted in reply, putting the finishing touches on her school jacket.  It was the mandated dress jacket for attendees of Beacon Academy: a plaid-red colored dress jacket, black skirt or pants (for men, only pants), and a white button shirt and tie.  Yang put her tie on, a clip on, which she preferred mainly for the quick undress to get to her kickboxing club after school.

            Today there wasn’t kickboxing, though Yang did have classroom clean up duty.  “Stupid roster rules,” she muttered, grabbing her backpack and making her way out of her room.  She wound her way through the house into the kitchen, making toast and preparing lunch while she ate.

            She saw her father, Taiyang, sitting on the couch, watching the news with coffee in hand.  “Anything of interest?” she asked from the kitchen counter.

            “Just an explosion of some sort.”

            “Hmm… anyone hurt?”

            He shook his head.  “Thankfully.  They don’t know the cause yet…”

            Yang hummed again, finishing her toast and making her way to the front door.

            “Hey Yang.”

            She looked back.  “What’s up?”

            “Are you okay today?” he asked.

            Yang shrugged.  “The same, more or less.  I’ll deal.”  She paused.  “And you?”

            “I’m good.”

            Yang nodded.  Sometimes she forgot that her father lost Ruby that day as well.

            They also lost Summer too; her loss hit Taiyang especially hard.

            “I know you’ll deal though.  I’m still concerned.”  Taiyang stood up, walking over to Yang.  “Wherever she is…”

            “I know.  I just hope she’s safe.  That’s all I’ve ever wanted to know.”

            Taiyang smiled.  “Me too.”  He glanced back to the TV: it was still showing images from the explosion.  “Be careful today,” he said, turning back to his daughter.  His face was grim.

            “I… will?”

            “Promise me?”

            Yang nodded.  “Promise.  Is everything okay?”

            “I don’t know.  I have a feeling something big is coming.”  He pulled her into a hug.  “Remember your training, okay?”

            “I will.”

            “Good.”  He stepped back and smiled.  “Now get to school.  I love you little dragon.”

            “I love you too dad,” she said, smiling slightly.

            She left for school.

 

* * *

 

 

            Yang arrived at Beacon Academy twenty minutes later.  She climbed the main steps, coming into full view of the school: it was a four-story building, hosting over one hundred classrooms, and home to almost two thousand students ranging in ages from fourteen to nineteen.  Yang was a senior here, and she was increasingly thankful that she only had a few months to go before she graduated and get herself out of Vale.

            There were two people that she would miss the most though: the first one she spotted sitting on a bench near the front entrance.  “Good morning cat,” she said to Blake, stopping a few feet short of the faunus.

            The girl looked up at her and smiled, her black hair waving as she shifted, her ears pointed skyward, excited at the arrival of Yang.  “Good morning dragon.  Glad to see you here on time.”

            Yang shrugged.  “I didn’t want to disappoint.”

            “You never disappoint me,” Blake said, standing and hugging her friend.  The blonde returned it lightly.

            “Even when I’m being me?”

            “The ‘you’,” Blake said, pointing her finger at Yang’s nose, “is the bright sun that warms the morning air.”

            Yang laughed and swiped the finger away.  “How cheesy!”

            “Hey!  I got that from a book I’ve been reading.”  Blake patted her bag for emphasis.

            “How original!” Yang said, laughing harder.

            “So rude!”  Blake pouted and turned away, starting towards the building.

            “Blake!  I’m sorry!  Forgive me!”  The blonde ran and stopped next to the faunus.

            “I don’t know if I should.”

            “You’re giving me the cold shoulder?  What happened to me being your sun?”

            Blake sighed, and turned to her friend.  “You always are.  Plus, I’m glad to see you being cheerful today.  How are you doing, by the way?”

            It was at this point that the conversation between them would turn towards Yang’s state of being, and how she was doing.  That was the great thing about Blake, Yang realized.  The faunus never judged her, never told her how to feel.  Some days, when Yang was not in the mood, Blake would let her be, always an arm’s length away in case she needed to talk.  Other days, the two would never shut up, and Yang would forget about missing Ruby.  She’d feel guilty sometimes afterward, like she was being neglectful of her sister.  It was during those ensuing conversations that Blake would suggest to Yang that maybe she should move on, that finding some sort of closure – if there was any she could find – would help her in the long run.

            And Yang would try, but every time she came back to the same feeling: _I wish I knew where she was_.

            “I’m pretty much the same today,” she said to Blake, repeating what she said to Taiyang earlier.

            “Well, don’t keep it in.  If you need to talk, I’m here for you, okay?” Blake said, her hand resting lightly on Yang’s arm.

            “I will, don’t worry,” she answered with a smile.

            “Good.  Now, should we get to class?”

            “Sure, why not?”

            They walked on into the building, and as they talked, Yang thought back to a conversation he had with her father about Blake, when they first met.

            “Don’t trust Blake.”

            “Why?” she had inquired.”

            “She’s a Belladonna.  She’s part of one of the major mage families, like your mom and Qrow.”

            “So?”

            “So?!  You need to be careful around them!  The Belladonnas, the Branwens, and the Schnees, they are not to be trusted at all.”

            “You’re being vague, father.  Why shouldn’t I trust Blake?”

            Eventually he got to the point: they fought against each other in what was called the Holy Grail War.  There were seven masters, he explained, and each of the summoned a servant from each of the classes of fighters: Saber, Lancer, Archer, Rider, Caster, Assassin, and Berserker.  The second war, the one he fought in, was especially brutal: the Schnee master died when his servant, Caster, refused to protect him.  Taiyang nearly died, though his Lancer took the blow from the Berserker that was controlled by Raven Branwen.  The masters for Rider, Assassin, and Archer all died as well.  Ghira Belladonna was meant to be the champion, having defeated Berserker with his Saber, but he instead destroyed the Grail.

            And it’s destruction caused the night of the black sun, destroying a quarter of Vale.

            It also…

            It was the first time Yang heard about the Grail War from him.

            Once she knew, Taiyang started teaching Yang about magecraft, in the off chance that she would be required to use it.  It was around that time too that Yang went to Blake about this: “Why are you still talking to me then?” Blake asked, defensively.

            “Because you get me,” Yang told her.  “I don’t care about any of this stuff.”

            “And if we end up facing each other in another grail war some day?”

            “We’ll deal with it then.  You’re a good friend Blake.  I don’t want to lose that.”

            And it was settled: they decided to be friends, even with Yang’s understanding of their shared history and Blake not judging Yang for being withdrawn a lot.  There were more important things in life to worry about than a stupid war.

            The bell rung, signaling the start of the day.

 

* * *

 

 

            The lunch bell rang, and Yang made her way to the lunch room, finding and sitting with Blake.  As they conversed, Yang looked around the room, seeing who was here during this time of day.  There were a few that she recognized right away: the Malachite sisters, Melanie and Militia, were sitting at one table, with their own fan club hanging around them.  In another part of the room sat Lie Ren, alone, enjoying his usual packed lunch.  A few tables away sat members of the fashion club: Coco Adel, club president; Fox Alistair, the vice president; and the officers, Velvet Scarlatina and Yatsuhashi Daichi.  And, lastly, quickly approaching their table:

            “Heeeeey Yang!  How are you, sweetness?”  An arm snaked around Yang’s shoulder, which she quickly shrugged off.

            “What do you want Cardin?” she asked, turning her attention to the tall, orange-haired student.

            “You, of course,” he said, a cocksure grin plastered on his face.  He took the chair next to Yang, spun it around, and sat down in front of her.  Behind him stood his entourage: Russel Thrush, Dove Bronzewing, and Sky Lark.

            “Not interested, never interested, never will be interested.  Stop bothering me Cardin.”  She turned back towards Blake and her lunch.

            “Aww, don’t play hard to get.  You know how good you’d look with me.”

            “What part of ‘get lost’ did you not get Cardin?” Blake said, glaring at him.

            “Fuck off, faunus freak.  I’m not talking to you.”

            “Say that again, Cardin,” Yang said, turning to face him once more.  Cardin jumped back, slipped, and fell to the floor: instead of seeing Yang’s violet eyes, he saw red.

            “What the fuck?” he cried from the seat of his pants.

            “When I tell you, again and again, I don’t want to be bothered by you, I mean it.  No means no means forever no!” she shouted.  Cardin quickly got up and ran off, followed close behind by his cohorts.

            “Yang, cool off.  You’re burning the air around you,” Blake said.

            Yang nodded, blinking a few times and getting her breath under control.  Eventually she relaxed, her eyes returning to normal and the air around her returning to its normal temperature.

            “Thanks,” she said to Blake.

            “You too.  You didn’t have to.”

            “He gets me so riled up though!  Why does he have to be so dense?  And why does he hate you so much?”

            “He hates faunus in general.  I’ve seen him pick on Velvet and Sun and a few others.  He treats them like dirt.”

            “Someone should teach him a lesson then,” Yang said, grinding her hands together.

            “Later.  Now, let’s forget about him and finish lunch.  No need for it to go cold.”

            They sat back down and resumed lunch until the bell rang.

 

* * *

 

 

            The second to last bell of the day rang, and Yang encountered the second person she would miss the most from here: Winter Schnee.

            Yang first met Winter during the fall term.  She went into the principal’s office one day, bringing a stack of papers from one of her teachers to Ozpin, the principal and headmaster of the school.  She left the stack with the secretary, and as she went to leave she was called in by Ozpin.

            “Good afternoon Yang.  How are you doing today?” he asked, keenly aware of Yang’s inner turmoil.

            “Fine, I guess.”

            “Good, good.  Here, I’d like to introduce you to someone.”  He waved his hand to the side, in the direction of the woman sitting in an adjacent chair.  “Yang, meet Winter Schnee.  She’s a new teacher’s assistant here at Beacon.  She’ll be helping out across all grade levels here.”

            “Hello,” Yang said, politely waving at the woman.

            “Winter, this is Yang, one of our finest seniors here at Beacon.”

            “Good to meet you, Yang,” Winter said, crisp and formal.

            “Winter served time in the military before coming here,” Ozpin disclosed.  “She’s making the transition to civilian life and wanted to become a teacher.”

            “Beacon’s a good place to start.  I hope it works out well for you,” Yang said.

            “I hope so too,” Winter responded, smiling.

            Yang left the office, and at the time, that encounter.  She remembered briefly her dad’s conversation about not trusting a Schnee, and she decided, foolishly, to follow that advice, avoiding Winter as much as she could for the next several weeks.

            “What have I done to you Yang?” Winter asked a month later, pulling Yang aside.  “You’ve barely said ‘hi’ to me.”

            Yang sighed and shook her head.  “It’s dumb, it’s really dumb.”  She explained to Winter her father’s viewpoint, and how she’s taken it to the extreme.  “I’m sorry I’ve done this to you.”

            “You should be,” Winter said, a brief flash of anger coming across her face.  “But, I can tell you, I’m not part of that family anymore.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “When I left to join the military, the controllers of the estate deemed me unworthy to be the successor.  They think they let me leave disgraced, but I couldn’t be happier to be gone from that place.  My father was a brutal, horrible man, and I’m glad he got killed in the second war.”

            Yang nodded.  “Who’s the successor then?”

            More anger crossed Winter’s face.  “Whitley, my halfwit of a brother.  Not until next year though.  The stipulation clause stated that the successor needed to come of age.  I left before I did.  Whitley will not though, and he’ll take over and then the Schnee family will be nothing.”

            “You want it to die?” Yang asked, genuinely curious.

            Winter nodded.  “Ever since my great aunt died, the Schnees have been nothing but manipulative, abusive, and bigoted.  Ask your friend Blake about how the Schnees have ruined the lives of faunus everywhere.  That might be a better reason for why you shouldn’t befriend me, instead of listening to hearsay from your father.”

            Winter left, leaving Yang in the hall to contemplate everything she said.

            She came to a decision a week later.

            “I want to be friends with you,” Yang told her.

            “Even though I’m a Schnee?”

            Yang shrugged.  “Blake understands you, in a way.  She’s glad you’re not part of the family.  Plus, you’re smart, and I think I can tell you about some of the things bugging me too.”

            Winter smiled, the first genuine one that Yang had seen from her.  “Good.  I’m looking forward to being friends with you, though don’t expect me to go lenient on homework with you.”

            Yang laughed, and together they started their friendship.  Over the next three months, going into the spring semester, Yang and Winter formed a tight bond, much like the one Yang had with Blake, causing some jealousy with the latter at times.  The blonde didn’t know how to respond, mostly just handwaving it away and telling Blake to relax.  The faunus wouldn’t though.

            “I don’t like the way she looks at you sometimes,” Blake informed her one day, about a month ago.

            “How do you mean?”

            “She… she looks at you like…”  Blake shook her head, leaving the sentence unfinished.

            Yang thought she could figure it out, but she left it alone.

            Why would two women want to crush on her anyway?

            “Good afternoon, Yang,” Winter said, in her crisp, formal tone, bring Yang back to the present.

            “Hey Winter, what’s up?” Yang asked, mock saluting her.

            “I’m curious as to how your studies are going, heading into midterms next week.”

            Yang laughed weakly, turning her head away in shame.  “Yeah… it’s going?”

            “Given your consistent ‘Bs’ and ‘B minuses’, I’m surprised you haven’t put in the effort to make your marks better.”

            “It’s… tough, I guess.  You know.”

            Winter nodded.  “Well, I know you have a study period now, so maybe you should utilize that properly.  Am I correct?”

            “I suppose you are,” Yang relented.

            “Good,” Winter responded with a teasing smile.  “Now, mind if I walk with you to the study hall?”

            Yang nodded.  “The company would be nice.”  They started down the hall.

            “I heard about lunch today.  How are you faring?”

            “Fine.  I didn’t mean to get angry like that though.”

            “It’s understandable,” Winter answered, glancing quickly at Yang.  “Cardin is an asshole.  You do need to get your anger under control though.  I’m afraid of what would happen if your magical abilities got out of control.”

            “I’m getting there, don’t worry.”

            “Two years is a long time to be ‘getting there’, Yang.  You need to get better control over your emotions.”

            “But they’re all over the place Winter!” Yang said, a bit too loudly.  She glanced around, finding only a few students, but pulled Winter to a closed off portion of the hallway anyway.  “I can’t stop thinking about Ruby and all the turmoil that causes, and I won’t let people like Cardin insult my friends like that.  What do you expect me to do?  Not feel anything at all?!”

            “Yang… you’re right, I’m sorry,” Winter said, taking a step back, giving the blonde some room.  “I only want what’s best for you, okay?  I care about you too much to see you consumed by your anger.”

            “I know,” Yang sighed.  She turned and started walking away.  “I… it’s just hard, okay?”

            “I believe you.”  Winter kept her distance as she followed along.  “Would you like me to help?”

            Yang nodded after a moment.  “I would.  I’m not sure where to begin to ask though.”

            “You’ve been mediating, yes?”

            “I have, just not as often as I should.  I get frustrated with that.”

            Winter smiled from behind Yang.  “I’ve been there.  It took me six months to finally figure out the benefits of mediating.  The military life was good for at least one thing.”

            Yang got a laugh out of that.  “Maybe I should join the military then?” she asked, turning to look at Winter.

            “That’s a joke, right?”

            The blonde snickered.  “Just pulling your leg.”

            “I would hope so.  Military life isn’t for everyone.  You do quite a lot of fighting though.”

            “Kickboxing club is good for a least one thing,” Yang told her.

            “Maybe I should join then?” Winter asked, smirking.

            “I, uh…”

            “I’m not, but I do enjoy some of your matches,” Winter told her, gently laying a hand on Yang’s shoulder.  “Still, I’d hit the bag more often.  Meditating might work a bit more after you’ve beat the sand out of one.  You might be more inclined to after a good workout anyway.

            “Now, what are you doing after classes end today?” Winter asked.

            “I’m on cleaning duty today, pretty late too.”

            Winter nodded.  “Would you like me to get you out of it for today?” she asked, a bit more suggestively than necessary.

            Yang shook her head.  “I don’t want to make my cleaning partner mad today, whoever it ends up being.  I haven’t checked the roster yet.  Thank you for the offer though.”

            “Ah… you’re welcome,” Winter answered, sounding disappointed.  “If you change your mind though…?”

            Yang smiled.  “I’ll let you know first thing.”

            The bell rang above them.

            “I have to get to study hall now Winter.”

            “Of course.  Shall we?”

            Yang nodded, and together they walked to the study period.

 

* * *

 

 

            The last bell rang.

            And Yang immediately regretted not taking Winter up on her offer.

            “I’m cleaning by myself today?!” she yelled out loud in her abandoned classroom.  She kicked the bucket away from her, trying to get some of her anger out.  At least it was still empty; there was no reason for her to add to her work today.

            She looked to her phone, seeing if she had some support available.  _I have work to get done, sorry dragon_ was Blake’s response.  A few other replies answered much the same way.

            “Might as well get to it then,” Yang said.  She went to get water, and upon returning, set to work, cleaning the desks, the whiteboard, and setting the chairs on the desks to sweep and mop the floor.  The work went fast enough that the blonde could let out some pent-up energy, but it was quickly growing tedious too.  Nearly forty minutes later, Yang stopped, leaving the work half finished, and sat at one of the available desks.

            “This is so frustrating,” she muttered.  She pulled her scroll out, looking for a game to play to pass the time away before she decided to resume.  A few minutes went by before she gave up on that too.

            “What should I do now?” Yang asked herself.  She should get back to cleaning, but…

            She stood up instead and pushed the desks out of the way, leaving the center of the room completely open.  She stood in the middle and took a deep breath, then extended her arms out, hands connected, pointer fingers facing skyward.  It was a simple stance her father taught her that would allow her to channel her magecraft to suit her needs.

            For Yang, it was strength and invulnerability.  The magic she used flowed through her body, showing up as white and blue circuit lines.  It allowed her to punch through objects, like doors and walls, with a focused destructive force.  She didn’t use it for kickboxing – “All magecraft is a secret from those who do not know of the Grail Wars,” Taiyang had told her – but she did use it to train better.

            Her magecraft was also heavily tied into her emotions, and sometimes she would accidentally activate them through a strong one, like anger.  It allowed her to be stronger and denser, but there were times too that she felt like she was losing control of her magecraft.  Everyone who knew her – Taiyang, Blake, and Winter, specifically – warned her about this.

            _Sometimes, I feel like I want to lose control though…_

            Yang opened her eyes, seeing the lines flowing along her arms.  She smiled at the result.

            A short time later, she exhaled, letting the magic flow away from her.  The lines went away, returning her skin to its tanned color.  She looked at the time as well: a half hour went by.

            Yang smiled, glad to have utilized her clean up time effectively.

 

* * *

 

 

            It was five o’clock when Yang finally decided to leave school.  Before she left though, she decided to just meander around, eventually ending up on the roof.  She saw the sun in the distance, an hour or so from disappearing beyond the horizon.  In the school yard, she saw the last of the afterschool cleanup kids leaving, along with the members of several different school clubs.  She sat down on the roof, leaned back, and finally relaxed.

            Eventually she would be the last one at the school.  On a day like this, she didn’t mind.  She was glad for the support she got from those close to her; sometimes, not having them around was a blessing to her.  There were less voices competing for her attention.

            There was only her own.

            “Someday, Ruby, I’ll find you again.  Whether alive or dead, I’ll find you, and I can finally have some peace.

            “Until then –”

            A sound broke through her thoughts.  Yang looked out to the horizon: the sun was halfway set.  How long had she been here?

            She heard another sound.  Was it coming from the yard?

            She walked to the edge of the roof, peering through the fence: there was no one there.

            **CLANK!**

            That sound again!  What made that sound?

            A small explosion went off from her right.  She looked: part of the asphalt was broken, with several potholes having spontaneously formed.

            Another sound, of weapons striking.  And Yang finally saw it.

            Or rather… _them_.

            She was, somehow, able to make out two individuals.  The first was looked like an old Mistrali princess of old: flowing red hair, dark skinned, with a vest plate and leg guards shining like gold, and a red sash tied around her waist.  Yang saw a spear in one hand and a shield in her other, and she saw the warrior using them for both defensive and offensive means.

            The second person was a mystery: they wore what appeared to be a lightweight combat corset and skirt, along with knee length combat boots.  A red hooded cape and red scarf covered their face, revealing only brief, unregistered glimpses of their eyes.  This one had a bow in her hands, extremely oversized, and they used it to keep their distance from the other fighter.

            Until the spear wielder got close, and the bow changed its shape into a scythe, sweeping the former away.

            “Is this…?”

            Yang couldn’t believe her eyes.  Below here were two combatants, two champions… two _servants_ , a Lancer and an Archer, fighting each other to a standstill, feigning and striking where possible but never landing more than a resounding **CLANK!** from metal hitting metal.

            “It is…”

            Yang slowly backed away from the roof.  She found the back stairwell, leading to the back of the building, away from the yard.

            She needed to escape.  As much as she wanted to stay and watch, she had to leave.

            “The war is secret,” Taiyang explained, two years ago.  “If a servant finds you, you’re as good as dead.”

            She moved as quickly and as quietly as she could, backing away from the roof, keeping the battle in front of her.  So long as they were fighting, they wouldn’t hear her.  So long as they were fighting…

            A leaf crunched underneath her foot.

            “Who’s there!”

            “Shit!” she cursed to herself, turning and running as fast as she could, finding the back way out of the school and cutting through the woods.  Faster, faster, _faster_ she needed to run.  She wound her way through trees, ducking and weaving and hoping that whoever followed her wouldn’t spot her.

            A tree exploded behind her.  Fifty feet?  One hundred feet?  They’re already this close?!  She had to keep running, she had to keep running, she had to…

            Yang cleared the tree line, looking for an out.  There, a side street.  She bolted again, jumping a fence, and then another, before finding refuge by a shed.  She ducked behind it and waited, doing her best to control her breathing, to not be spotted.

            “I’m sorry that I have to do this,” she heard.

            Yang around her hiding spot: fifteen feet away stood the Lancer, her spear readied in her right hand, her shield relaxed in her left.

            “I’m sure you understand, given that you saw us.  It’d be a waste to kill a magic user before they had a chance to shine though.”

            Yang stood up, keeping her eyes on Lancer.  Her chance of flight was long gone: she’d be dead before she climbed the next fence.  She wouldn’t last long in a fight with her either.

            _I should just quit…_

            _No… you shouldn’t…_

            Yang breathed deep, and focused as much of her magecraft that she could in a few seconds, feeling it spread throughout her body.  She just needed to get her skin tough enough to withstand the spear.

            “That’s an interesting ability.  Strength enhancement?  I commend you.  I haven’t seen that too often,” Lancer said, lowering her blade a few inches.

            “Hopefully it’s good enough against you,” Yang said through clenched teeth.  She was close to her max density.  Oh so close.

            Lancer smiled.  “Shall we find out then?”

            Yang braced herself, preparing to launch into a strike, hoping to get one hit in that would do something to Lancer.  She saw her one chance: for a moment, the red-haired warrior looked away, as if distracted.

            _Now!_

            Yang leaped into action, covering the short distance in two seconds, pulling back and preparing to strike with all her strength.

            In an instant, Lancer disappeared.

            And Yang felt the spear pierce her stomach.

            “Wh…what?” she said, blood dribbling from her mouth.

            “I’m sorry.  As much as I wanted to challenge you, my master is requesting my presence, and I can’t keep this going.  I wish I could have fought you fairly though.”

            The spear was pulled out, and Yang fell to her knees, her hands feebly covering her wound, her blood pouring through her fingers.  How had this happened?  She thought she could withstand at least one strike, and yet the warrior standing before her brought her down effortlessly.

            She was going to die here.  Alone, behind this house, and no one would know.

            _I’m sorry Blake._

_I’m sorry Winter._

_I don’t want to die._

_I don’t want to die…_

_I don’t… want to…_

 

 

 

 

            _Hmmph.  You won’t, at least not yet._

            Yang’s eyes opened, and her right hand flashed out.  Light exploded around her, blinding her.  She heard Lancer shout out close by, confused and dismayed by the sudden demonstration.  Yang felt her hand burning as well, like there was something being seared onto it with something hot.

            _What’s happening!_   She tried looking around, but couldn’t.  The light was too bright to see anything.

            “I’ve been summoned by you… master.”

            And then the light disappeared.

            It took a few moments for Yang’s sight to return to normal, and once it did, she noticed two things: first, the red markings that formed on the back of her right hand, showing a distinct, symmetrical pattern.

            And, second: she saw a woman, dressed in blue, standing before her.  Yang couldn’t see her face, as she was facing Lancer, but she noticed the platinum blonde hair that was tied into a single ponytail, set against her back.  This one also wore a skirt, though it stretched past her knees, and there was some armor adorned into it.

            The other thing she noticed was a thin, rapier-like weapon strapped to her right hip.

            “Saber…?”

            “Quiet,” the woman before her said, her gaze locked onto Lancer’s.  “I’m keeping you alive, but barely.  Don’t move, don’t talk.  Just breathe.”

            Yang nodded and stayed where she was at.

            “Well this is an interesting sight,” Lancer said.  “I didn’t expect her to summon a servant, much less a Saber-class servant.  I’ve misjudged her.”

            “So you have.  I would have expected better from someone like you… Pyrrha Nikos.”

            The dark-skinned warrior frowned.  “I’ve misjudged you too.”

            “Don’t be too harsh on yourself.  I recognized you right away, mostly because I idolized you in my youth.  That,” she said, pointing to her spear, “is Miló.  And that,” pointing to the shield, “is Akoúo.”

            “You’ve put me at a strong disadvantage here.”

            “Realize that you were famous.  At least, famous enough for me to remember as a Heroic Spirit.  Now, I’m curious what this does,” Saber said, drawing her sword from her side.  “This is… not what I expected.”  She waved the blade around a bit, feeling its weight.

            “What is its name?” Pyrrha Nikos asked.

            “If it’s the same as last time, then… well, I’ll tell you another time.  I’m glad to know that my abilities still work in this form,” she said, smirking.

            “Will there be a next time?”

            “If you leave now, yes.”

            “And if I don’t?”

            “Then I will strike you down with fire and ice.”

            “How will you do that?” Lancer asked, disbelieving her.

            “Look around,” Saber said, waving her hands towards the sky.

            Lancer looked, and her eyes went wide.  In the air above her, and continuing to increase in number, were snowflake-like apertures, with half of them being red in color and half in a light blue color.  The center in each of them pulsed in their respective colors, ready to send forth an attack from them.

            “I see.  I shall take my leave then.  I won’t make the same mistake twice.”

            Saber smiled.  “I don’t expect you to.  You’re Pyrrha Nikos, the greatest defender of Mistral.  I expect our true fight to be one for the ages.”

            Pyrrha returned the smile.  “I hope it is as well.  Farewell for now.  And maybe next time I’ll be more considerate of your master.  She’s strong, though a bit raw.”

            “I get that feeling.”  Saber sheathed her sword and dismissed her apertures.

            Pyrrha Nikos bowed, then disappeared into the night.

            Yang looked up again, seeing her servant exhale.  She wasn’t getting weaker, thankfully, but she so desperately wanted to sleep.

            “Not yet.  I have to get you home,” Saber said, finally turning around.

            And Yang, possibly delirious, or strangely lucid, saw her servant, and noticed almost immediately the similarities between this woman and Winter.

            “Who are you?” Yang said, on the verge of passing out.

            “My name is Weiss.  Weiss Schnee.”

            Yang nodded, then passed out.


	2. Route One: Fate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Route one commencing!
> 
> A couple of pre-chapter notes: 1) The main characters are all at least 18. This is specific for the violence (people will end up dying and I'd rather not change to explicit because of children biting the dust), and also specific for the Freezerburn and Elderburn romances.  
> 2) I made Pyrrha dark-skinned/black; the show, as great as it can be, really lacks in diversity with its main cast (it's whiter than me, that's for sure). She was the appropriate choice for a change, in my opinion.   
> 3) There is no set schedule for chapter release. Life obviously dictates this, so chapters will show up every 2-4+ weeks, depending on when I can write.
> 
> Off we go!

_The beginning of fate_

_Two souls, bound together to fight_

_To love_

_To become inseparable…_

_I: Fate_

 

* * *

 

 

            It was late morning when Yang finally awoke.  She felt the sun being filtered through the blinds, with a subtle spring breeze blowing through the window.

            Yang's first thought was to wonder how she ended up getting home last night.  She remembered everything until she blacked out: her servant, Saber; her failed attempt at fighting a servant; the giant wound in her belly.

            Slowly, in her still groggy state, she lifted the blankets to look down at herself. She was reduced to a sports bra and shorts, with a medical binding tied around her midsection.  It itched more than anything else at this point.

            A question also hit her: why wasn't she dead?

            She heard voices below her, in the living room.  She couldn't tell if it was actual people or just the television.  She needed to find out though.

            Cautiously, Yang removed the blankets and swung her feet out onto the floor.  No feeling of nausea or the like.  Good.  She stood up, grabbed the closest shirt, and put it on, before leaving the room to go to the bathroom.

            “Yang?”  It was Taiyang.

            “I’m up,” she said, closing the bathroom door behind her.  She quickly relieved herself before standing in front of the mirror.  She looked healthy in general: no paleness associated with blood loss; no bags under her eyes; no actual pain in her abdomen.  Her long, blonde hair was a mess, though that was to be expected after sleeping for over twelve hours.

            Yang opened the door, finding her father leaning against the wall across from it.  “Are you okay?  Do you need help?”

            “I’m fine, I think,” Yang said, still feeling perplexed about the whole thing.  “Well, I shouldn’t be.  How did I get back here last night?”

            Taiyang tilted his head towards the stairs.  “Come on, we’ll have a talk.”

            She nodded and followed him down the stairs.  Upon reaching the living room she saw Saber, sitting on a matt on the floor, sipping a cup of either tea or coffee, she couldn’t tell.  The woman looked relaxed.

            “Was it you?” Yang asked her as she sat on the couch.

            “Was it me what?” Saber asked.  Yang pointed to her stomach.  “Your father actually.  He’s a much better field dresser than I am, that’s for sure.”

            “Then how did –”

            “Our bond as master and servant.”  Saber took a sip from her cup.  “Once I found no other servants in the area, I channeled my energy into keeping you stable until we got back here.  Your father cleaned you up and put the bindings on you – which, if I’m right, you can completely remove now – and, once we deemed it safe, I healed you as best I could, though it took all night.”

            Yang nodded.  “Thank you.  Both of you, honestly.”

            “Don’t sweat it dragon,” Taiyang said, patting her shoulder.  “Though, I was surprised at who brought you in.  We had a… chat, once she said you were good.”

            Yang looked back and forth between them.  “Can one of you explain this ‘chat’?”

            “It was more of a one-sided yelling match, but it’s completely fine.  I understand his concerns.”

            “You yelled at her?!” Yang shouted, turning on her father.

            “I don’t trust her!  Well, I didn’t.  I trust her a bit more now though.”

            “What do you mean?  And don’t say it’s a ‘Schnee’ thing again.”

            Taiyang sighed.  “It is a ‘Schnee’ thing, but for good reason.  It’s better if you hear it from her.”

            Yang turned to Saber.  “I might as well hear it.”

            Saber set her cup on the table.  “This is not the first Grail War I’ve fought in,” she started.  “I was a human in the first war, actually fought it and lived, but not for long after.  I was summoned for the second war by my nephew of all people.  I was a Caster for that one.  It… well, he wasn’t a good person.  I let him die.”

            “You did what?!”

            Saber smiled.  “I expected that.  But don’t worry.  You’re leagues better than he was.  Unless, of course, you hold a bigoted point of view and wish to use the grail to wipe out an entire race of people.  Then, of course, I might let another servant kill you too.”

            Yang shook her head.  “This was dumb, so dumb.  I shouldn’t have gone onto the rooftop last night.  I should have just come straight home, did some homework, and let someone else join this war.”

            “Yang,” Saber said, setting her ice blue eyes on her master.  “Whether you summoned me or not wouldn’t have changed the fact that you’re a part of this war.  Your father told you too much as it was.  Sooner or later someone, be it the council of mages or another master and servant, would have come along and killed you and Taiyang.  At least now you have a fighting chance.”

            “Are you sure?  Do you even know how to use that thing?” Yang asked, pointing to the rapier sitting next to Saber.

            “I do.  I was a master swordsman fifty years ago.  An Archer might give me problems, but other than that, I’ll be able to perform to your expectations.”

            “What about that Lancer from last night?” Yang asked, still not convinced.

            “Ah, Pyrrha Nikos.  Do you know your history?” Saber asked in response.

            “Not of her, no.”

            Saber nodded.  “She might be the best pure fighter in this war, though we haven’t seen who the Rider and Assassin are yet.  Anyway, she was the greatest defender in the history of Mistral.  A few hundred years ago, there was a period of, let’s say, fifteen years?  There were three different invasions, or attempts of invasions.  Pyrrha defeated them all.  She’s one of the most famous people in history.  That, fortunately, works in our favor.”

            “How?”

            “A servant’s true name is kept secret,” Taiyang jumped in, allowing Saber to take a sip from her cup.  “Knowing the name, as well as their Noble Phantasm, can give you a distinct advantage.”

            “And you know it all?” Yang asked.

            “Yes.”

            “Why did you tell me yours?”

            Weiss smiled.  “Because I trust you.”

 

* * *

 

 

            A buzz went off, not too far away.  “Oh, your father took your scroll,” Saber said, putting her cup down.

            “It kept going off this morning, and all I wanted to do was sleep!” Taiyang lamented.

            Yang looked around, finding the device plugged in on the kitchen counter.  She got up and walked over to it.  “What the…”  The screen revealed a multitude of messages and missed calls, all of them from two people:

            Blake and Winter.  There were repeated calls and messages, all of them asking where she was, and if she was okay.

            _I’m awake.  I’ll fill you in later._  She sent the message to both of their phones.  As she walked away her phone was buzzing in new activity, but she didn’t want to deal with that right now.  She still had more questions for Saber.

            “Explain this,” she said, raising her right hand, showing them the red tattoo.

            “Those are your command spells,” Taiyang explained to her.  “They go with your specific servant class.  You have three of them, and it allows you to command your servant with absolute obedience.”

            Yang turned to Saber.  “What about your nephew?  Did he command you?”

            “He tried,” Saber said.  “I have a pretty strong magical resistance, so he had difficulty getting me to do some of his work, like ‘Kill a bunch of faunus’.  I was able to resist that one long enough to get him killed.”

            “Couldn’t he use one to command you to take a blow?”

            Saber nodded.  “He did, actually, right before he was struck down.  It was very difficult to resist that one, but I managed it.”

            “You need to be careful with how you use them though, Yang,” Taiyang said.  “Once you use all three, that’s it.  You either lose your servant or your servant becomes free to kill you.”

            “I’m generally good at following orders too.  Like I said, I trust you Yang.  I believe you will make the right decisions.”

            Yang nodded.  She was about to ask another question when her stomach rumbled.  “Okay… I should eat something.”

            “I got some leftovers for you,” Taiyang said.  All three of them rose and headed towards the kitchen, with Saber bringing her cup along for a refill.  It gave Yang a chance to finally get a good look at her servant.

            The woman was short, at least by Yang’s standards: she stood a head shorter than the blonde.  Her hair was long too, longer than Yang’s by a good half foot.  Her overall features – face, body, hands, etc – seemed fragile, but that would be an incorrect assessment, Yang realized.   Saber looked lither than anything else, with a gentle sort of strength beneath her visage.  Her attire was the same from last night – the blue dress that covered her head to toe – though this morning there was no armor.

            “Like what you see?” Saber asked.

            Yang shrugged.  “Just curious.”

            Saber nodded.  “I’m stronger than I look.  I’m sure you noticed that last night.”

            “I did.  It was kinda scary.  Kinda cool too.  Those snowflake things you made, what are those?”

            “My glyphs.  It’s a Schnee trait , though my nephew didn’t exhibit that trait.  I never found out why.”  A pause.  “Is his family still alive?”

            “I know Winter,” Yang said, glancing down at her phone.  There were more messages from Blake and Winter.  “I only Whitley by name though.”

            “What of Winter?  Is she a good person?”

            “She is,” Yang told her.

            “I see.  I’d hate for her to get involved with this war.  I’m sure she knows about it, but still…”

            “She works at the high school.  It might be tough, if that remains a flashpoint.”

            “Breakfast is ready!” Taiyang stated, cutting off the women.  He placed a plate of pancakes and breakfast potatoes in front of Yang.

            “Thank you, dad.  This looks good!”

            “I hope it is.  I slaved for hours on this!”

            “He spent twenty minutes on it,” Saber said, sipping from her cup, ignoring the exasperated look from Taiyang.  “I will say, he cooks like a magician.”

            “Did you have any?” Yang asked.

            “Only a few bites.  I really don’t need to eat as a Heroic Spirit.  It’s more for… personal enlightenment when I do.”

            Yang nodded in understanding, resuming her meal, and continually ignoring the bothersome buzzing of her phone.

 

* * *

 

 

            One of those messages, during the course of the afternoon, read: _You stupid dragon if you don’t respond now I’m coming over after school!_

            At exactly 3:06 PM, the house bell rung.

            Yang watched Taiyang walk over to answer it.  There was a brief conversation that she didn’t hear, followed by a thumb pointing back at her and a shouted “Yang!”

            “Who is it?”

            “Your funeral, you stupid dragon!” Blake stated as she stalked into the room.  The cat faunus looked around, immediately spotting Saber sitting on the floor matt.  “Goddammit Yang, you summoned a Saber of all servants?  And a Schnee too?!”

            At that, Saber looked up, grabbing her rapier and preparing to strike Blake.

            “Wait!”  Yang shouted, standing up and getting between the two.  “Wait, wait, wait!  Let’s… okay, Blake, sit down.  Saber, it’s fine.  She’s a good friend of mine.”

            Both women kept glaring at each other.  Eventually, they did what they were told, but they kept an eye on each other.

            “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you more,” Yang told Blake, as she took a seat next to her.  “I’ve only been up for a few hours, and I spent the time trying to learn as much as I could about… all of this.”  She directed a wave at Saber, though it was a general, all-encompassing one.

            “It’s okay.  I can see that you’re alive at least.  When you didn’t answer at all this morning I told Winter, and we just kept trying to get a hold of you.”  Blake leaned back, finally relaxing a bit.  “I couldn’t get out early either.  Stupid principal wasn’t allowing any unexcused absences today.”

            Yang shook her head.  “I’m surprised.  I didn’t expect Ozpin to be such a jerk.”

            “Wait.”  The pair looked over to Saber.  “Whose name did you say?”

            “Oz…pin?”

            Saber frowned.  “He sounds familiar.”  She looked over to Taiyang.

            “He leads the mage’s council.  He called for the second war, and I wouldn’t put it past him to get the third one set in motion.”

            Saber nodded.  “This man isn’t to be trusted.  Understand Yang?”

            “I… sure, I won’t.”

            “I’m going with Saber with this,” Blake said.  “My father wasn’t big on him.  He came across as very duplicitous, from what was explained.”

            “I stayed in the neutral area when I lost my servant,” Taiyang explained.  “But he… he definitely was looking for more.  I couldn’t tell you what, because he kept his secrets close to him.  Be careful what you say around him, both of you.”

            Yang nodded.  She looked over to Blake: “Do you have my homework for today?”

            “That of all things?” Blake asked, rolling her eyes.  She opened her bag and pulled out a notebook.  “You got a lot to catch up on from today.  I didn’t get as much as I would have wanted, given how distracted I was.”

            Yang gave her a sheepish looked and mumbled an apology.  “I might as well get to it then.”

            “Is this wise?” Saber asked.  “You should be training more, not studying.  You’re in a war now.”

            “That’s true,” Yang said, shrugging.  “I’ll train tomorrow.  Let me recover more.”

            “I’ll go on guard duty then,” Saber said, standing up and grabbing her sword.  She started walking towards the front door, but paused halfway there.  “Blake, is it?  What kind of magecraft do you possess?”

            “Support and defensive.  Why?” Blake asked, sounding suspicious.

            “Set up a defense grid.  I don’t want any masters or servants sniffing around here.  Taiyang is a target too and I don’t want him to get killed.”

            “And Yang?”

            “She can study on her own.”  Saber turned and left through the front.

            Blake waited until the door closed before turning to Yang.  “I don’t like her.”

            Yang sighed.  “I figured.  She seems… uptight?”

            “Bitchy?”

            “Wouldn’t go that far; she is my servant after all.”

            _Such a weird thing to say._

            “Why should I listen to her?  I was planning on doing that anyway.”

            “Really?”

            Blake nodded.  “You’re useless at support.”

            “Why is everyone insulting me today?” Yang asked, exasperated.

            Blake shrugged.  “You should know.”  She stood up and made her way to the door as well.

            “Yang,” she said, calling back to her.

            “Yeah?”

            “Next time, don’t make us worry.  Okay?”

            Yang smiled.  “Yeah, I will.  Sorry again.”

            “Apology accepted.  Get to studying.”  Blake went through the door as well, pulling it closed behind her.

            Yang looked up to her father briefly.  “Anything you want to add?”

            “Nope!” he said, grabbing a cup of water and heading for the stairs.  “I’m just glad you’re alive.”

            “Thanks, I guess,” she said, not sure how to respond to such a thing.

            “I don’t want to lose you as well, that’s all.  You’re my little dragon.”

            Yang smiled.  “And you’re papa dragon.  Hate to lose you too.”

            Taiyang smiled, then disappeared up the stairs.

            “Time to get copying then,” Yang said to herself, grabbing her own school supplies to transcribe Blake’s notes.

 

* * *

 

 

            Dinner came and went over the next few hours.  Blake stayed for it, then departed for the night.  Yang asked if she wanted an escort home, but the cat said she was fine.

            “I’ll see you Monday at school,” she said, and then she was off for the night.

            Yang called it a night about an hour later, waving to her father, who was on the couch with her, and Saber, who once again found the matt on the floor.  She got to her room and changed her clothes around, opting for her flannel pajamas, expecting a cold night.  She removed the binding a while ago, finding that the wound was almost completely healed, with no scarring at all.  “Good to have a servant around for that,” she said to herself.

            As she climbed and settled into bed, she heard a knock on her door.  “Yang, may I enter?”

            It was Saber.

            “Yeah, it’s fine.”  The door opened and quickly closed.  Saber stood by the door, looking around the room confused.

            “Where can I sit?” she asked.

            “Foot of the bed is fine.”

            Saber nodded and walked over, sitting at the lower end of the bed.  Yang noticed that she was looking nervous as well.

            “What’s going on?”

            “I’d… like to ask you a question.  A personal question, if you don’t mind.”

            Yang looked at her, somewhat apprehensive.  “You may… I’ll let you know if I want to answer it though.”

            “Acceptable.”  Saber turned, facing Yang completely, pulling her legs underneath of her.  “Can you tell me about Ruby?”

 

* * *

 

 

            “Girls!  It’s time for bed!”  Summer Rose-Long called from behind the closed door.  “You better have lights out in five minutes!”

            “Okay mom!” came the giggled reply.

            Yang had settled into bed already – at eight, she already knew that getting to sleep was important for future education – but it was Ruby – six years old; already a ball of boundless energy – who didn’t want to go to sleep right away.  She laid in the bed next to Yang, curled up into her while the blonde played a game on her handheld.  Her bright silver eyes cringed every time Yang’s character fell off a cliff, and laughed every time they did something funny.

            “Can I try once?” Ruby asked, inching to grab the device.

            “Sure.  But only once, we really need to get to sleep,” Yang told her.

            “Yes!  Thank you, Yang!”

            Yang’s character died about a minute later, and she passed the handheld over.  “Remember how to play?”

            “I watched you play sis.  I can play this better than you!”

            “Oh really?  How about playing while being tickle attacked!”

            “No!” Ruby shouted, but it was too late, as Yang grappled her on the bed and tickled her sides.  Yang had a size advantage already, not just over Ruby but with a lot of people in her grade as well.  She used it to her advantage, bending Ruby to her will.

            “Uncle, Yang!  Uncle!”  Yang stopped, letting Ruby catch her breath.  “Ugh!  You’re so mean!”

            “Says the person that won’t let me sleep.”

            “I’ll let you sleep… eventually.”

            Yang bopped the red head on the nose.  “Nope, now.  Mom said lights out, remember?”

            “Fine, fine.”  Ruby made to get off the bed, then stopped.  “Hey… can I stay with you tonight?”

            Yang sighed.  She looked at Ruby and, after a moment, smiled softly at her.  “Yeah, climb under.”

            “Thank you!”  Ruby slipped under the sheets and cuddled into her sister.  “You’re the best, you know that?”

            “Hey, I gotta keep my sis warm somehow, right?” Yang asked.  She pulled Ruby into a hug.  “Now, click the lights out and let’s get to sleep.”  Ruby reached back and switched the lamp off, then burrowed back into Yang.

            They stayed silent for a few minutes, until:

            “Yang?”

            “Hmm?”

            “When’s dad coming home?”

            “Mom said soon, I think.”

            She didn’t know how soon though.

            Neither of them knew what their father was doing, and when they pressed their mother, she told them: “He’s out doing work kids.  He’ll be back when it’s over.”

            “I want to see him again,” Ruby whispered to Yang.

            “I do too.  Let’s get some sleep now, okay?”

            Eventually they did.

            A few hours later, still asleep in Yang’s bed, the door shot open, and the ceiling light went on.

            “Yang!  Ruby!  Get your shoes on and lets go!” Summer shouted, walking over to the bed and shaking them both awake.

            “Mom?” Ruby asked.

            “What’s going on?” said Yang.

            “We have to go.  We’re in danger here.”

            They both nodded, and quickly slipped out of bed.  Both got their shoes on, and once Summer had Ruby in her one arm, with Yang’s hand in her other – “Whatever happens, don’t let go of my hand,” Summer told her – they left their apartment.  There were people moving about in the hallway as well, some wondering what was going on, others quickly moving to the stairwell.  The three of them followed a group down the stairs, getting to the first floor after a minute and soon made their way outside.

            “Where are we going?” Ruby asked, her arms tight around Summer’s neck.

            “We’re finding dad and leaving.  Something bad has happened.”

            “Why is it so hot?” asked Yang, wiping sweat from her brow.

            They looked around, seeing nothing that could have caused the heat to rise, and continued into the street, toward where Taiyang was supposed to be at.  Ahead of them, they saw people down a road on their right.  As they reached that intersection, they looked left and saw it:

            A dark object, sitting in the sky, like a black sun.

            An inky substance dripping down from it.

            And a massive fire spreading all around.

            They ran from the fire, Summer pulling Yang along as best she could.  “Keep up Yang!” she shouted.

            “I am!”

            “Mom!  I’m scared!” Ruby cried.

            “Keep your eyes closed!  I’m right here, Ruby.”

            A block ahead, a building caught on fire.  It quickly sprung across the street into another building.

            “This way!” Summer shouted, pulling Yang to a street on the left.  They continued down this street for a few blocks, keeping with the general flow of the other Valens trying to escape.  They needed to turn north again though, to find Taiyang and where he said to meet them.  A side street gave them that chance, with very little foot traffic coming their way.  They turned…

 

            …and suddenly, another building caught on fire…

 

            …Yang lost her grip on Summer’s hand…

 

            …she shouted out as the building collapsed…

 

            …she cried as fire burned all around her…

 

            …Summer and Ruby were trapped…

 

            “Yang!  Yaannnggg!”

            She looked up, seeing her father run up to her and scoop her into his arms.  “Where’s everyone?  Where’s Summer and Ruby?”

            She continued crying and weakly pointed to the collapsed building.

            “No…”

            He dropped to the ground, pulling Yang tighter into him, and cried.

 

* * *

 

 

            “When they finally cleared the fire and the rubble, they found Summer’s remains,” Yang told Saber, wiping a tear from her eye.

            “And Ruby?” Saber asked.

            “That’s the weird part.  There were no remains, no DNA matches.  She just… ceased to exist… disappeared, and we never found out why.”

            Saber nodded.  “And your father said it was Blake’s father that did this?”

            “Yeah.”  Yang rubbed the last of the tears and sniffles away.  “We never found out why either.  After the Grail was destroyed Ghira left, and he went back to Menagerie.  He’s remained there since.  Blake showed up here a couple of years back, alone.  We became friends then… she’s helped me deal with Ruby.”

            “So you think she’s alive somewhere?”

            Yang shrugged.  “It’s possible, yeah.  I’m not sure where, but I imagine she’s happy.  I hope she is.  She got away from this place, right?”

            Saber smiled, a small, sad one, then stood up from the bed.  “Hopefully she is, Yang.  I’m happy you had someone close to you when you were younger.  I never had that luxury, if I remember right.  My father, Nicholas, was a just man, though I had a sister… I can’t remember her name, but I remember her being a rather mean individual.  She gave birth to Jacques, and from the dairies I read during the war, she instilled in him the same arrogance and bigotry that she had.”

            “I’m glad Winter doesn’t,” Yang offered.  “And, I’m glad you turned out all right too.”

            Weiss blushed, slightly.  “Pfft.  I’ve always been ‘all right’.  It’s the rest of my crazy family that messed things up for everyone else.”

            Yang chuckled.  “I know.  Maybe your grandnephew will turn out okay?”

            “We’ll have to check at some point, before this war is over.  Now, get some sleep Yang.  I’m going to train you tomorrow, and I can promise that you won’t like it.”

            “Really?  What can you possibly throw at me that I wouldn’t be able to handle?”

 

* * *

 

 

            Yang regretted those words by lunch time.

            She had assumed, going into the training, that it would be hand-to-hand combat, her specialty.  Saber threw that out the window right away.  “We’re fighting with practice swords,” she explained.

            “But I've never fought with swords,” Yang told her. “I'm a kickboxer, remember?”

            “All of our adversaries will have a weapon of some kind, including Caster.  You'll need to learn basic sword play to begin having a chance of surviving.”

            “What about my magecraft?”

            Saber waved her hand.  “We’ll work on that in time.  For now, we dance with blades.”

            They spent the first half hour working on basic stances, sword grips, and strikes.  Yang found a few of these moves were like boxing: how to move in on an opponent; to gain leverage on an opponent; and, when to pull back and defend.  The major difference was that her reach was extended by nearly three feet.

            Once that was down, Saber changed to a sparring routine, and for the next hour plus, Yang was beaten into a bruised, lumpy pulp.  Her defense was broken nearly every time by Saber's precise strikes.  When she attacked, the servant anticipated where she was going to and reacted accordingly, deflecting strikes and side stepping a lot of them.

            It went on until now, with Yang lying flat on her back in the training area, and Saber sitting on her knees, watching over her.

            “Question: how often do you win?” asked Saber.

            “About seventy percent of the time.  Why?”

            The servant shot her a curious look.  “I'm surprised it's that high.  You have too many tells.  I was able to figure you out simply by your steps.”

            Yang narrowed her eyes at her.  “Gee, thanks.”

            “I imagine your faster opponents have taken advantage of that.  It’s fine, really.  You just have to be faster.”

            “How do you expect me to do that?” Yang asked, sitting up on her elbows.

            “We’ll get there.  Now, just lay down and relax.  I’ll take care of healing you.”

            The blonde laid back down, already feeling a lot of her pain fading away.  She wondered how Saber could heal her.  _Maybe from her time as a Caster?_

It brought up another thought: “Hey… do all servants remember their past lives?”

            Saber shrugged.  “For the most part we do.  Some remember it well and embrace it.  Others try to forget, but sometimes those memories will haunt them for as long as they fight.”

            “And you?”

            “I embrace them,” she said, smiling.  “How can I not?  My family turned into monsters after I died, and I feel as if part of my duty here is to correct that.  I’m not sure how I can accomplish that, with this being a secret war and whatever…”

            Yang thought for a moment.  “If we could convince Winter to retake her claim to the family…”

            “It’s an idea, but I doubt anyone there would take her back after what you said about her rescinding it.  No, there’s probably another way.  We’ll figure it out.  Thank you though, Yang.”

            “What for?”

            “Trying to help out,” Weiss said, nodding her approval.  “You don’t have to, but you’re doing so anyway.  I appreciate it.”

            Yang nodded.  “You’re welcome.  Now,” she started, slowly pushing herself onto her feet, “I’m ready for more training.”

            “We’ll train, but no more fighting today.  We’re going to work on your magecraft.  For now, eat some lunch and get your strength back.  I’ll be here waiting.”

 

* * *

 

 

            The early afternoon training session went well enough for Yang.  She demonstrated to Saber her specific ability, and the white-haired servant was quite impressed.  “Very good for a human mage to have that kind of duality.  And you can concentrate on one over the other, right?”

            “That's right,” Yang said as they sat on the second-floor balcony, overlooking Vale.  The sun was halfway set.

            Saber nodded.  “I imagine then that Lancer’s spear was her Noble Phantasm.  I doubt any human could withstand that blow and live.”

            “I did, though,” Yang stated, a smug smile settling on her face.

            The servant shook her head.  “You were dead without me.  Don’t forget that.”

            Yang shrugged her shoulders.  “Semantics.”

            They lapsed into silence for a while, watching the sun continue to dip below the horizon.

            “You seem to be doing well today,” Saber said.

            “Father told you?  Is that why you asked about Ruby last night?”

            A nod.  “When we discussed my… ‘abandonment’, of my last master, he was worried the same would occur.  He told me a lot of what you went through after Ruby disappeared.  As your servant, it’s my duty to make sure you are of sound health, both body and mind.  Your body, obviously, is in excellent condition for someone of your age, and will only get stronger.  Your mind…”  Saber trailed off.

            “Anything you need me to do?”

            “Just talk to me.  I’m a little read on the causes of depression, so I can at least be an ear for you to listen with.”  She stood up.  The sun had finished setting, and there was about twenty minutes of light left.  “Now, I want to take a walk.  The last time I was here I didn’t get out much, and I really want to see what Vale looks like at night.”

            “Are you sure that’s safe?” Yang asked.

            Saber shrugged.  “If anything, it’ll allow us to see who else is around.  I’ll be armed with my blade, and you should be able to handle any human in a hand-to-hand fight.  Just hope they don’t bring a gun.”  She walked back into the room, allowing her magic to reapply her armor.  She found a cloak by Yang’s bedroom door and put it on, covering her body.  “There, I’m in disguise,” she said, turning to Yang.

            The blonde was snickering under her breath.

            “What’s so funny?” Saber asked.

            “It’s too big for you,” Yang answered, now fully chuckling at the sight.

            Saber looked down: it was indeed too big, as the cloth was touching the ground.  She let out a laugh as well.  “So it is… so it is.

            “Shall we?” she asked, looking up at Yang.

 

* * *

 

 

            The pair walked for about thirty minutes through the outskirts of town.  It was a quiet night, with more of the hustle and bustle of Vale happening many streets away.  The park, where they currently found themselves walking, was mostly devoid of life.  It was what Saber wanted, in case of a fight; Yang, however, was hoping everything would stay quiet.

            “I don’t recall this,” Saber said as they drew to a stop, again looking out into Vale, but from a much closer vantage point.

            “It was built after the last war, as a memorial of sorts,” Yang explained.  “I haven’t come here often, but at least it looks nice now, with the flowers blooming and all.”

            “Spring is a season of renewal,” Weiss whispered.  “I didn’t encounter that much at all.”

            “Solitas is frozen year-round, right?”

            “When I last lived.  The snow did melt at times, though it was never warm enough to allow different fauna to emerge.  There’s frost at night, every night, and it rarely got above fifty during the summer.  It is a true frozen wasteland.”

            “And yet so many people live there…”

            “When your lineage is the wealthiest in the world,” Saber explained, “you can build anywhere.”

            Yang could only nod at that.  She went to move again, but paused, seeing Saber fixed on a small copse of trees.  “What’s up?”

            “We’re not alone.  Your friend is there.”

            “Who?”  Yang peered through: in the dark, she could barely make out the features of the person hiding behind the trees.  They blended in well.  “Blake?”

            The woman in question walked out.  “Why are you out?  Don’t you know how dangerous it is?”

            Yang threw her thumb over her shoulder.  “Saber wanted a tour.  And I’m feeling better now, thanks for asking.”

            Blake shook her head.  “The war has started in earnest.  I protected your house, you should stay there and wait for everyone else –”

            “Quiet!” Saber whispered loudly, her eyes focused away from where Blake came from.  Yang moved up next to her servant, with the cat faunus a step behind her.

            “What is it?” Yang asked quietly.

            “I sense a servant.  Keep your guard up.”

            They waited, seeing what would emerge from the path ahead of them.

            They didn’t wait long.

            “Good evening, my love!”

            “Cardin?” Yang asked as he came into focus.  “What are you doing here?”

            “I should be asking you the same, seeing as how you’re out here alone, with a guest and your pet –” Blake growled in response behind her “– but no matter.”  He came to a stop, standing fifty or so feet away from them.  “I can quickly dispose of your friends here and finally claim you for myself.”

            “And what makes you think I’ll go with you willingly?  I can kick your ass to Mistral and back again!”

            She saw the smirk on his face and instantly felt disgust.

            “Because I have someone to persuade you with.”

            “Yang, step back.”

            “What?”  She looked down at Saber, seeing her servant go tense.

            She looked again, and her eyes went wide with shock.

            Standing next to Cardin was a monster: they stood well over six feet in height, towering over Cardin easily, and it was almost completely covered in dark metal armor.  Its face was covered as well, with a visor slot revealing red eyes.  Their hair was long, and was burning bright orange as well.  Yang looked down, seeing a massive club type weapon in its hands.

            “What is that?” Yang breathed.

            “You’re not the only one from our school who could summon a servant, dearest Yang,” Cardin said, moving to stand in front of his servant.  “I met this one two days ago, and while I should have killed your pet yesterday, I don’t think it would have been a good idea to kill several hundred students as well.  So, I waited a bit longer, and thought that I would eventually find you two together.  And I did!  And you have a servant as well!  She looks weak though,” he said, leaning forward, squinting his eyes at Saber.  “No matter.  You’ll be mine soon enough.

            “Berserker!  Kill the servant and the faunus, and bring Yang to me alive.”

            “A Berserker?!”

            “Shit!”

            “Move now Yang!”

            The Berserker roared like a jet engine, then it planted its feet and shot forward, making a beeline straight for Blake.  Yang moved as quick as she could, trying to get herself fully in front of her friend, but the servant was quicker, its club raised up and ready to strike for the kill.

            An invisible wall prevented that.

            Yang saw a large series of glyphs hovering in the air above her and Blake, acting as a shield against the club.  In front of them stood Saber, the cloak abandoned, and her rapier at the ready.

            “Berserker!” she shouted.  “Your fight is with me!”  She shot forward, propelling herself with glyphs and other magic, and aimed her weapon straight for Berserker’s heart.  The beast blocked the blow, moved to counter, and was blocked by another series of glyphs.  The servants back away from each other for the barest of moments, and after a brief moment to size each other up, they both launched into another attack.

            The fight was truly on.

            “Come on Yang,” Blake said, pulling on the blonde’s shoulder with one hand and pulling out a small machine gun with the other.  They felt the ground rumble around them.  “Let’s get to cover.  Neither of us are a match for that thing.”

            “How the fuck did he summon a servant?!” Yang yelled as they ran away.

            “The Winchesters are a lesser mage line,” Blake said, hopping behind a brick wall.  Yang followed her over.  “I don’t think they’ve fought before.  My guess is that he’s trying to make a name for himself.”

            “Getting a Berserker is a good start!”  She peeked over the wall: the servants continued to exchange weapon blows, neither of them gaining any significant ground.  Yang wondered as well how Saber’s rapier, of all things, could hold up against a massive club swung by a Berserker.

            She looked back down at Blake, seeing her check her weapon stock.  “And since when did you carry machine guns?!”

            “I’m a defense and support mage, remember?” Blake informed her.  “I need some sort of offense.  Father insisted on it.”

            Yang shook her head.  She didn’t want to be back in the fray so soon after her first encounter with servants, and yet, here she was, with her own going against the worst kind.

            “Yang, look at me,” Blake said.  The blonde turned to her.  “Breathe and relax, okay?  Treat this like a normal fight.  Size up your opponents, look for an opening, and try to take it.”  The cat faunus took a knee and looked over the wall, aiming her gun towards the fight.

            “You expect to take a servant out with that?” Yang asked incredulously.

            “Not that.  _Him…_ ”

            Yang looked back towards the fight, and beyond it: Cardin was all alone, invested in the fight and not caring about anything else.  “Can you get a shot?”

            Blake shook her head, retreating behind the wall.  “I can’t.  Do you see what I see?”

            Yang studied the battlefield for a moment, looking at the combatants and Cardin.  It took her a few moments, but eventually she saw it: “Berserker is acting as a shield.”

            “Exactly.  Every time Saber draws it away it repositions itself in front of Cardin.  It knows we’re here, looking to take its master out.”

            “So how do we get around this obstacle?”

            “You can get to Cardin,” Blake informed her.  “He wants you alive, remember?  Berserker won’t touch you.  Well, it might knock you out, but it won’t kill you.”

            “Thanks…”  Yang looked to the fight: Saber was holding her own, using a combination of sword jabs and glyphs to try and find holes in Berserker’s defenses.  The latter, she saw, just absorbed the glyph hits, no matter what Saber threw out of them.  At some point, Yang hoped, Saber would get the opening she needs.

            She dreaded what would happen if Saber couldn’t.

            “And what about you?” Yang asked Blake.  “There’s no way Berserker would allow you to get a clean shot.”

            “I’ll worry about that.  Besides, I got backup.”

            “You got –”

            And then it clicked, and Yang cursed herself for not realizing it sooner.

            Blake was a master in this war as well.

            “You…”

            _A brief flash of red…_

            “Yang, focus.  You’re my best friend,” the cat faunus told her, understanding the recognition in Yang’s eyes.  “We’re going to face this together, and we’re going to win, understand?”

            Yang’s eyes went back to their lilac color.  “We’re going to talk.”

            “I know.”  Blake turned and hopped over the fence, disappearing into the trees.

            That left Yang to figure out what her part of the plan was in all of this.  Does she cut right through the battle to get to Cardin?  Does she take the long way around?  Their battle is covering such a large area, it would be impossible without taking a hit.

_What you’re thinking is suicide._

            “Holy shit you’re in my head!”

            _Yes, I know.  It’s called telepathy, Yang._

            The blonde looked up, seeing the servants standing still for a moment, assessing each other.

            _This one is tough, let me tell you._

            “Can you defeat him?”

            _Yes… maybe?  It seems like Blake has a plan though._

            “She’s a master.”

            _I figured as much.  She’s too well versed to not be a part of this war.  She’s a good ally to have in this._

            “I don’t like it.”

            She swore she heard a sigh.  _Like it or not, she’s going to help us here.  Now, what are you thinking?_

            “Any possible chance you can get Berserker to another area?”

            _I’ve tried.  It seems to think Cardin can’t defend himself, and I’m inclined to agree._

            Yang looked over to the tree line, trying to find Blake and where she stationed herself at.

            _If you do anything, don’t get yourself hurt.  This battle is going to take me a while to recover from and I don’t want to leave us completely defenseless._

            “He wants me alive though, remember?”

            _Heh… he just wants your body.  I’m sure there’s a necromancer somewhere that’ll reanimate you and turn you into Cardin’s slave…_

“Ew, disgusting!”

            _A moment of levity on the battlefield, Yang.  Let me have that.  Did Blake say who her servant was?_

            “No.  She only described them as ‘backup’.”

            _Hmm… it’s probably Archer then.  They can keep a larger distance away without feeling any pain from the master-servant bond._

            “How will they know to attack?”

            _They’ll see it_ , Saber said, readying her rapier again.  _You’ll see it too._

_And by the way…_

            “Yeah?”

            _It’s Weiss._

            The servants went on the offensive again.

            Yang looked on, trying to find the opening she needed to get to Cardin.  The dance continued: Saber tried her hardest, but every time she forced Berserker out of position, it corrected itself, keeping Blake out of sight of Cardin.  At least Saber was winning the fight, from Yang’s vantage point.

            But the monster wasn’t going down, not fast enough.

            Yang took a deep breath, and figured out what she needed to do.  She squared her shoulders and concentrated, pulling the magical circuits deep within her to the surface, lacing her body with white and blue lines.  She felt her strength increase, and she felt her body get denser.  She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them again, their color now a hot red.

            “I’m coming,” she whispered, hoping that Saber heard.  A flick of her servant’s free wrist, a bounce of annoyance: that was her cue.  Yang jumped the stone wall and ran, covering the distance as quick as she could.  The increased density made her a touch slower, but she could manage.  She just needed to get to Berserker.

            Gun fire went off from her right, hitting the monster’s armor.  Yang finally spotted Blake out of the corner of her eye, taking aim and firing again.  Nothing was going to penetrate the Berserker’s armor; at least, nothing human made was.  _Good distraction, cat,_ she thought, seeing Berserker stealing a quick glance to where Blake was at.  It roared loudly again; Saber used that opening to drive her blade into the monster, cutting through steel and flesh.  She fired off fire and ice through her glyphs and her sword, adding extra punch to the attack.  Saber leaped back just as Berserker came back around, swinging its massive club, missing Yang’s servant by inches.

            Yang, by then, was on top of them.

            She leaped forward, and concentrating as much strength as she could, launched a punch into Berserker’s face.  The monster blocked it just in time, catching Yang’s fist with her own, the impact shattering the armor covering its hand and forearm, the shockwave also cracking the faceguard.  Berserker pushed Yang back, and took two quick strides forward, rearing its club above its head; its strike was meant for Yang.  The blonde felt Saber pull up behind her, readying multiple glyphs, hoping it would be enough.

            “ _STOP!_ ”

            Berserker’s hand stayed, the club above its head.  Yang looked behind the monster: Cardin had his hand outstretched, pulsing red.

            He burned a command spell to save her life.

            She smirked.  The opening was there.

            “Archer!” Blake shouted.

            “Get down!” Saber yelled, pulling Yang down, covering the blonde with her body, creating a protective dome of glyphs all around them.

            Moments later, they felt the impact of multiple arrows slamming into the ground around them.  They heard Berserker roar again.  Yang saw its body being pelted by dozens of arrows, the armor slowing chipping away.  And yet it stood defiant.

            But it was distracted though.  Yang looked at Blake; the cat faunus took aim at Cardin, the opening finally there.  Cardin saw it too, shouted for Berserker, and turned and ran.  Blake opened fire at his retreating form, emptying an entire clip of gun rounds at his direction.

            They should have hit.

            Everything hit Berserker instead.

            “How…?”

            “Battle Continuation?!”

            “Archer!”

            Berserker roared, and picked up a cowering Cardin before leaping off into the night.  Arrows struck the spot a split second later.

            Saber stood up, and with a wave of her hand the glyphs disappeared.  They were safe.  She turned back and stuck her hand out for Yang, which she took, allowing herself to be pulled up to her feet.  By this point her strength had left her.  Her density was returning to normal as well.

            Blake pulled up next to them.  “Archer doesn’t see them.  We’re in the clear.”

            “Good,” Yang said.  He turned to Saber.  “Thank you… Weiss.”

            The servant blushed.  “Next time, don’t be so stupid.  Berserker was going to kill you.”

            “And Cardin burned a spell.  I took that into account before attacking.”

            Saber shook her head.  “Don’t do that again.”

            “I won’t.”  Yang took a step, felt her head get light.  “Can I take a nap now?  I’m exhausted.”

            Another step, and she collapsed to the ground, passing out moments later; she saw Weiss Schnee close to her face, showing great concern, and shouting out her name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Going into the final scene with Saber vs Berserker, I went and rewatched the UBW sequence on YouTube. It was over twelve minutes in length. It's great to watch, but holy shit that would have been a slog to write and read through. Obviously, for brevity's sake (side note: looks at word count and laughs), I'm not going to do blow for blow fight scenes with this one. Expect something similar to what I did here through the rest of the story.
> 
> Other than that, thank you guys for the kudos! That was a lot more than I expected for an opening chapter for a work that I know isn't going to be in the wheelhouse for a lot of folks. Hopefully this will turn out well for you guys, as I'm excited to write this one. Drop a comment though and let me know what you guys think.
> 
> Until next time!

**Author's Note:**

> Prologue completed! The first of three story lines will commence soon.
> 
> Questions? Thoughts? I'll be adding tags over time, when different characters pop up as either masters, servants, or other.
> 
> Also: while this will reference F/SN, there will be no characters from that specific media showing up at all (hence the RWBY fandom tag only being there). If you guys think it would be a good idea to add to it, I'll go back. Because hey, view counts are cool, ja?


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